I forgot to mention something in yesterday's Illumination newsletter that will be quite important to some people. I do plan to keep these e-mail deliveries down to once a month, but I have to make an exception for this one brief piece of news. This message only applies to people who do not currently have a CaravelNet membership and are potentially interested in getting one.

April is the last month to get all Smitemaster's Selections with a new CaravelNet membership. In May we are switching to the new system where you'd only get Smitemaster's Selections that are released during your active membership. I warned a while back we'd be making the switch, but I didn't give a definite time. But now I will!

If you become a CaravelNet member before May 1st, then you will receive the following CaravelNet-exclusive holds (level collections):

* King Dugan's Dungeon
* The Choice by Neil Frederick
* Perfection by Larry Murk
* Beethro and the Secret Society by Jacob Grinfeld
* Halph Has a Bad Day by Eytan Zweig

These holds were produced by the Caravel team and feature great puzzles, stories, and voice acting. After April passes, they won't be available to new CaravelNet members. New members would just receive Smitemaster's Selection holds released after April. So if you were already thinking about becoming a member, it probably makes a lot of sense to join this month instead of later.

Okay, that's it. I hope I didn't bother anyone. This is the last newsletter-related e-mail you'll get from me until May.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

quote:coppro wrote:
On a side note, is there any reason that when I changed my email address when I subscribed to CaravelNet, I now get Illuminations to both addresses?

Yes, but it isn't a very interesting reason.

It's easy enough to get rid of one of them. Click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the message that was delivered to the old e-mail address. That should do it, I think.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

So how will someone who learns about DROD a year from now be able to get the "early greats" of Smitemaster selections? Fork over an extra amount of money? or just "nope. never again will anyone who hasn't already ever download KDD 2.0"?

Hmm. Can you e-mail me the link you have in your message for unsubscribing?

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

quote:silver wrote:
So how will someone who learns about DROD a year from now be able to get the "early greats" of Smitemaster selections? Fork over an extra amount of money? or just "nope. never again will anyone who hasn't already ever download KDD 2.0"?

Well, KDD 2.0 isn't the best example because we'll continuing offering that as a full product with DROD: King Dugan's Dungeon. But as far as the other Smitemaster's Selection holds go, they may become available later in some form if there is some demand for them. I just don't want to make plans or promises about that now.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

quote:silver wrote:
So how will someone who learns about DROD a year from now be able to get the "early greats" of Smitemaster selections? Fork over an extra amount of money? or just "nope. never again will anyone who hasn't already ever download KDD 2.0"?

Well, KDD 2.0 isn't the best example because we'll continuing offering that as a full product with DROD: King Dugan's Dungeon. But as far as the other Smitemaster's Selection holds go, they may become available later in some form if there is some demand for them. I just don't want to make plans or promises about that now.

-Erik

ummm, i really hate to be the one saying this, but wouldn't that just encorage pirating?

____________________________Instead of pouring in more
better stop while you can
making it sharper
won’t help it last longer

To some extent it probably would. Just like our decision to put DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold on CDs got us a lot of early attention on wares sites. There's tradeoffs to every decision.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

quote:ErikH2000 wrote:
To some extent it probably would. Just like our decision to put DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold on CDs got us a lot of early attention on wares sites. There's tradeoffs to every decision.

quote:silver wrote:
So how will someone who learns about DROD a year from now be able to get the "early greats" of Smitemaster selections? Fork over an extra amount of money? or just "nope. never again will anyone who hasn't already ever download KDD 2.0"?

Well, KDD 2.0 isn't the best example because we'll continuing offering that as a full product with DROD: King Dugan's Dungeon. But as far as the other Smitemaster's Selection holds go, they may become available later in some form if there is some demand for them. I just don't want to make plans or promises about that now.

This might just be the thing that makes a hold author release a potential SmS-hold normally, because it would be very inaccessible after the 3-month period. Why put possibly months of work into something that people can't play in the future? Isn't that exactly what a hold author would want them to do?

If CDs are a hassle, even downloads at an extra fee would be surely better than nothing.

Why not just do something along the lines of charging $10 for 2 or three SS holds, and the buyer can choose which ones he/she wants to get. That way, people who want it can get ones that they feel are the most interesting. I, for instance, might not want to get Perfection because I'm not that good a DROD player, so I decide on The Choice, and the two holds from Halph Stories, and both Erik and I are happy.

____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

There will be a way to get older Smitemaster's Selection releases. It just hasn't been decided on yet.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

Phew! I remember the bad time with an earlier shipment that just dropped into Mothingness. I had made a note to myself that if you didn't get this one, I was just going to apologize and give you a refund, because the economics of Smitemaster's Selection depend on the cheaper shipping methods. Remember to be very nice to your local postal worker so you get all your packages! (Half-joke--Brittany and I actually follow this policy because we get so many important packages in the mail.)

quote:Well, congratulations everyone who worked on the SS and SS CD (that's Erik and Erik, right?)

Heh. The credits were so lengthy this time, that I gave up trying to put them on the CD insert itself. (Would have been a 5pt font.) They are tucked inside.

Thanks for the compliments.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

Just for the record I got my discs too, and I also got the JTRH disc, which was rather quick since they talked about several weeks in the e-mail I got. Also a minor sugestion. If you are to buy DROD from another country the default shipping alternative is the most expensive one. I think it costs something like 50$. Maybe this will scare people so much that they just don´t bother to check the other shipping alternatives. Wouldn´t it be better to have the cheapest alternative as the default option?

quote:Blondbeard wrote:
Just for the record I got my discs too, and I also got the JTRH disc, which was rather quick since they talked about several weeks in the e-mail I got. Also a minor sugestion. If you are to buy DROD from another country the default shipping alternative is the most expensive one. I think it costs something like 50$. Maybe this will scare people so much that they just don´t bother to check the other shipping alternatives. Wouldn´t it be better to have the cheapest alternative as the default option?

I agree this is really dumb, and have already asked Plimus to change this. If anyone else feels this default shipping option gives a negative impression, you could send an e-mail to sales@plimus.com and mention it. That might make them change it sooner.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

quote:Bombadil wrote:
The Erik & Erik thing was only related to the SS CD. Because it's you that put the things toghether on the CD, pack 'em and send 'em. Right?

Oh, I see. Well, I actually did have some help on the CD cover illustration itself. The background art behind the three Halphs was contributed by Jerrel McQuen who is the artist for Drysmoke and Whispers. But other than that, yes, I put the CD together by myself.

-Erik

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

____________________________Godkiller Gamedev streams (live sessions where I make a new puzzle game. NSFW, mature content)youtube (archive of live streams, and some animated videos I made. Again, contains mature content.)

quote:gamer_extreme_101 wrote:
Make sure you are connected to CaravelNet in-game, and they should be availible to download in the "Play Game -> Change Location" box.

Ok as another new member of CaravelNet in april, any thoughts as to why those specific aforementioned level collections (and only those, as far as I can tell) are missing from the listing that is displayed when I go to 'change location'? I'm assuming I'm succesfully connected, becuase I can download OTHER holds...

____________________________
This space intentionally left blank.[Last edited by jmpava at 04-14-2006 03:37 AM]

quote:jmpava wrote:
Ok as another new member of CaravelNet in april, any thoughts as to why those specific aforementioned level collections (and only those, as far as I can tell) are missing from the listing that is displayed when I go to 'change location'? I'm assuming I'm succesfully connected, becuase I can download OTHER holds...

You can't download the Smitemaster's Selection holds because you have a free trial copy of CaravelNet, for purchasing JtRH. The free trial of CaravelNet doesn't include Smitemaster's Selections, but does have all of the other features.

____________________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
--Mahatma Gandhi

But, and please someone correct me if I'm wrong, if you don't purchase a full caravel.net subscription very soon, you'll lose the right to download historic, and futurally classic SS holds.

I cringe when I think anyone would ever find themselves in that position, so I would seriously consider subscribing to the full suite if the game so far has caught your attention... the value for money is by far the most ridiculously unmarketable price I can think of. 250 GBPs? That's more like it.

Then again, it may be too late to register to get *all* the SS holds, but please, someone, correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm almost at the point where I would say that I'd pay for the subscription, and you pay me in 3 months if you find it, as I predict, the best addition to any (and especially this) game ever conceived. As it stands however, I know you will so it's unnecessary for the extra step.

If someone could confirm the deadline on the SS holds, that would be great.

[EDIT]

There's a lot of repetitions going on in my post, but thinking about it now I guess that without the confirmation, the post's basis would be erroneous hence I'm going to leave them in, albeit intently.[Last edited by Syntax at 04-14-2006 08:04 AM]